Archive for June, 2009

There seems to be a never ending flow of new products to the market claiming to be ‘natural products’.  Glycolic acid is one of the many skin care products that can be classified as natural.  It is actually made from sugar cane, and so it falls into this category.

You must be extremely careful when using any product with acid as part of its name.  This is doubly true when you are applying this type of product to your skin.  Glycolic acid is also used in rust removal and degreaser products, which gives you a good idea of its potency.  In fact, any item that is made with more than a 10% content of glycolic acid is considered to be hazardous material.

Glycolic acid is recognized as a very popular skin exfoliating agent and is used in many products for this purpose. You will usually find this as an active agent in creams or gels.  When it is applied to the skin, it will work its way through the top layers of your skin.  It will actually separate the dead skin from the other layers of skin and the other components of the cream or gel and will remove the dead flake.

This peeling off of dead skin can leave you with healthier and smoother skin after the dead skin has been washed away.  Once your skin has been treated with glycolic acid it will be overly sensitive to sun exposure.  It is strongly advised that you avoid direct sun exposure all together following a glycolic acid treatment.

After using a chemical peel that features glycolic acid, your skin will look like it has a severe sunburn and you will have to stay out of direct sunlight until it heals. Typically you will have some skin discoloration following a glycolic acid treatment, but this will heal with time. Advocates of glycolic acid are in agreement that the mild discomfort and appearance problems are all worth enduring for that short time in order to get the benefits that glycolic acid gives you.

Will glycolic acid remove years off of your appearance? Many people will tell you that it does.  Ultimately, you are going to have to be the one to decide to what level you want to use this product, but the popularity of it almost speaks for itself in regards to its benefits as a skin care treatment.

The end of last year I had a Micronutrient Analysis test. What is a Micronutrient Analysis? It is a blood test which tests for deficiencies in a large range of nutrients. If you can afford this test I highly recommend it. Many insurances will cover it, but some will not. Be sure to check first as it can be very expensive if you have to pay out of pocket.

I regularly take supplements to back up my diet. I wanted to know if I was taking the right supplements or if I was overlooking some key areas. This test proved to be a real eye opener. The Repletion Suggestions were fairly long and covered some supplements I was already taking. Obviously I need to increase my dosage for these critical nutrients to stay healthy.

The test covers the B Complete vitamins; B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin, B3 (Niacinamide), B6 (Pyridoxine), B12 (Cobalamin), Folate, Pantothenate and Biotin. It further tests for Amino Acids and Metabolites such as Serine, Glutamine, Asparagine, Choline, Inositol, Carnitine, Oleic Acid as well as Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Calcium Zinc, Copper, and Magnesium. Carbohydrate Metabolism tests include Fructose Sensitivity, Glucose-Insulin Interaction and Chromium.

Individual antioxidants such as Glutathione, Cystein, Coenzyme Q-10, Selenium, Vitamin E, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Vitamin C are also tested. I am a big proponent of CoQ10 for heart protection, energy and gum health and still I needed to increase my daily supplementation by an additional 30 mg. That was a surprise since I have been taking this supplement for about 15 years at a gradually increasing dosage.

This Nutrient Analysis includes a test for overall antioxidant function. With this test the cell’s ability to resist oxidative damage is determined.

When you are looking at different types of skin care; face creams and anti wrinkle treatments are usually at the top of the list of hot topics. There is much debate over how good the products and treatments are, or if they are even effective. You are seeing more and more natural products come out on the market. Sounds like a good thing, right? Some of the major cosmetic companies feel that synthetic ingredients are sometimes safer and more effective than natural ingredients. In the end, your face will make the decision for you.

With the amount of anti wrinkle treatments that are on the market, it is only natural that some of them may work for you and some of them may not. The mistake a lot of people make is that they buy a product because of the people that are using it, meaning certain stars and models, versus checking the ingredients or getting a sample to see if will actually work on your skin.

When you are shopping for your anti wrinkle treatment, you should always shop around and try to get a sample before paying full price for the product. Some of these treatments can be very expensive and there is nothing more disappointing than paying again and again for a myriad of products that just don’t work. What do you expect from the treatment – moisturizing, exfoliating, fine line reduction? Have a clear idea of what you expect in the way of results and also what the cost benefit ratio might be for your skin care issues.

You are going to have quite a bit to choose from when you are shopping around for face creams and skin treatments. The decision is going to be if you are going to go with something that is topical or an injection type of treatment that is meant to fill in the lines.

A topical treatment usually works by applying it to the areas of the face that are specific to the cream and then over time, it is meant to tighten the skin and eliminate or lessen the wrinkles that you are experiencing. There are also some topical treatments that work immediately for a one time appearance and then when consistently used, will improve the appearance of the areas that are affected by wrinkles.

If you go the route of injections, they will literally insert a needle into the affected area (think botox or restylane treatment) and the wrinkled areas are filled to eliminate the wrinkles. This is a process that definitely has some risks involved and you may want to try the topical treatments before trying something this severe.

Whatever you end up deciding on though, make sure you are using it for you and not because of who is using it. Check the ingredients and the method that makes it work to make sure you are not using something that is harmful for your skin or may affect you in an adverse manner.

Wrinkles, acne, facial discolorations, weight gain, aging, Oh My! What do when you look in the mirror? Whether you’re in your teens or 70’s we are all pretty critical when it comes to our appearance. Everyone, no matter your age or gender, wants to look and feel their best. Our appearance often reflects our general health and well being. It certainly impacts the way other people perceive us.

Welcome to Health Vanity. It is perfectly natural to want to improve and care for our health and appearance. We try everything possible to slow the natural aging process. Unfortunately, that aging process starts at birth! Your appearance almost always improves when your health and mental well-being are at their peak.

Billions of dollars have been spent on anti-aging research. How do we find the anti-aging treatments that are most beneficial? You can spend a lot of money finding what doesn’t work. Together we can find the best products.